A flight attendant has shared the reason why the cabin lights are dimmed during take-off and landing on a plane, and why it’s nothing to worry about and is just standard procedure
If you’ve ever been on a night flight and the cabin crew has dimmed the lights for no apparent reason, it may leave you feeling a little uneasy. Suddenly, the plane is plunged into darkness, and if you’re not in the know, you may not know that there’s a reading light above your head to ensure you can see better.
It can leave you sweaty-palmed and can set you on edge for the rest of take-off or landing. Most of the time, there will be a warning to let you know it’s happening, but even then, it can get a little nerve-wracking because you won’t realise the extent of how dark it gets. Then, when you’re plunged into darkness, you’re left desperately looking around, trying to figure out how everyone else is feeling about the situation.
But there’s no need to panic, and one flight attendant has shared the reasons why the cabin lights are dimmed during take-off and landing.
Many passengers will assume it’s a pointless exercise because the pilot isn’t in the same part of the plane – but it’s nothing to do with that.
Barbara Bacilieri, also known as Barbie Bac, shares videos about her flight experience with her 2.65million YouTube subscribers.
And the 29-year-old has confirmed the reason why take-off and landing are dark if you’re on a night flight.
A fan asked: “Why do planes dim the lights during take-off and landing?”
Barbara confirmed that it’s to “help your eyes adjust in case of an emergency evacuation,” so you haven’t been in bright lights previously if you need to get yourself out of the plane.
Lights are dimmed in the cabin of aeroplanes during take-off and landing – especially at night or in low visibility conditions – for safety reasons.
In the unlikely event of an emergency during take-off or landing, and passengers need to evacuate, their eyes will already be adjusted to the lower light levels outside the aircraft.
This helps them see better and move more quickly if they need to find their way to exits.
When the cabin lights are dim, the emergency lighting in the flooring also becomes far more visible, and it helps guide passengers to the exits in case of an emergency.
Dimming the cabin lights reduces glare and reflections on windows, allowing passengers and crew to see outside more clearly. This can be important for situational awareness.
It’s also not the main reason; dimming lights can help conserve power for critical systems during important flight phases.